THE life of a hugely popular Cumnock resident will be remembered at a special concert during the Cumnock Tryst festival this weekend.

Dumfries House will play host to the Scott Riddex Memorial Concert on the evening of Sunday, October 2.

Scott, who died in the spring of 2021 after a long battle with muscular dystrophy, was involved in many musical activities in the area as a long-standing member of the Cumnock Area Musical Production Society (CAMPS) and part of the Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus.

This weekend's performance will honour Scott's memory and passions and feature some of the best local talent. In the words of Sir James MacMillan, the founder of the Cumnock Tryst, “this is a concert for and of our community”.

The event, which is one of the highlights of this year’s festival, will see the collaboration of three groups coming together to celebrate their fellow musician and friend.

The Ayrshire Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by John Wilson, who was Scott’s music teacher at the former Cumnock Academy, while the Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus and CAMPS will be conducted by Sir James, who has also collaborated with them to create new music especially for this event.

Ruby Riddex, Scott's mum, said: “Scott was a very shy person whose love of music helped him overcome his shyness.

"All through school he took an active part in choirs, plays and productions - never the star but happy to be there taking part in the chorus.

"While at university in Edinburgh he continued his choral singing at the church he attended there, and on return to Cumnock he was an early member of CAMPS and really enjoyed taking part in all their concerts and musical productions.

"They were so very helpful and supportive of Scott as his mobility deteriorated. When the Tryst came into being he was delighted to be part of the Festival Chorus and loved the rehearsals and performances, and again his shyness was overcome because he was meeting many likeminded people.”

The event will focus on music that pays homage to Scott, the local community, and the East Ayrshire area.

The performance will feature some of Scott’s favourite pieces, such as Edelweiss from  The Sound of Music, two new pieces composed by Sir James for the Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus, and some pieces that have been composed as part of A Musical Celebration of the Coalfields, a major community project led by the Cumnock Tryst that aims to engage the local communities and restore the former coalfield area of East Ayrshire through the production of new music.

Cumnock Chronicle: Scott RiddexScott Riddex (Image: The Cumnock Tryst)

Kay Mitchell, a member of the Cumnock Tryst Festival Chorus, said: "I knew Scott his whole life. He was very involved in our church at Old Cumnock Trinity where he served as an elder and Bible Class teacher.

"Scott was always the one to get us organised every year for our Nativity play. He did a lot of work with Summer Missions in various places around Scotland and always brought back great ideas for new songs to use with our young folk.

"He loved an action song and I will never sing The Twelve Days of Christmas without thinking about Scott and his actions.

"Scott loved being involved in the church, he loved computers and technology, he loved quizzing, but I think his greatest love was music.

"I sang with Scott in the United Churches Choir and then in The Tryst Festival Chorus. He was a dedicated member and I doubt if he ever missed a rehearsal.

"He always gave of his best and enjoyed singing with the tenor section. It is an honour to be singing again this year, in this memorial concert for Scott.

"I am sure he will be looking down with pride on Sunday evening when his favourite groups are all together singing in this concert and remembering him.”

After their individual pieces at Sunday's concert, all three ensembles will then join together for a performance of Gavin Bryars' haunting and iconic modern classic, Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet.

Sir James said: “Scott Riddex was a much loved figure.

"He was involved in CAMPS as one of their enthusiastic members, he sang with our Festival Chorus, he loved music.

"Scott had muscular dystrophy, but that never held him back from being totally engaged with people round about him, whether it be in his church community or his different musical activities, and he always contributed really well. 

"We’ve brought these three different groups together who all knew or all had some kind of connection with Scott in order to pay homage to him and to remember him, a young man who left us too soon.”

John Wilson added: “Scott loved music! He was a stalwart, enthusiastic and talented member of the school choir and was at his happiest when participating in the annual school musicals: Oliver!, Calamity Jane, South Pacific and his favourite, The Sound of Music.

"Scott always brought a smile to rehearsals and, in his senior years at school, he was a positive role model, supporting and encouraging younger pupils to experience the joy of music-making that he so embraced and cherished.”

The concert at Dumfries House will take place at 6.30pm on Sunday, October 2, and will last for around 60 minutes.

To find out more about this and other events on this year's Tryst programme, and to book your tickets, click here.